Blackhawks notebook: Reaction to Nazar’s suspension, Bedard’s next step, line adjustments and more

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a rough start to the 2026-27 campaign, only winning one of their first five contests so far. Things aren’t going to get any easier, either. They face the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (Oct. 10) and four other teams who went to the playoffs last year in their upcoming seven-game homestand.

It doesn’t help that they’re still without Connor Bedard (offseason shoulder surgery) and now Frank Nazar has been suspended two games for his hit to New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat last Thursday (Oct. 8).

But the show must go on, and the Blackhawks will embrace the challenge. The good news is the next seven games are in front of the home crowd. Let’s empty out the notebook.

Nazar’s reaction to his 2-game suspension

Of course, the big news is Nazar’s suspension. At the end of the game versus the Islanders on Thursday, Nazar clipped Horvat after he scored the empty net goal to seal the 4-1 win.  The hit didn’t look too bad in real time, but it sent Horvat sprawling to the ice. Nazar was assessed a match penalty, and the Department of Player Safety later deemed it an illegal check to the head. He Blackhawk’s center is now suspended for the next two contests. You can view the hit in slow motion at the end of this video clip.

Nazar gave his side of the story after morning skate on Saturday. “I kept my shoulders in, kept my elbow in, didn’t like lunge or reach or anything.”

It’s safe to say Nazar doesn’t feel the punishment fits the crime, but that doesn’t change the fact he’ll have to sit out two games. As head coach Jeff Blashill diplomatically put it, “He hit him. He got suspended. That’s all I know.”

Lineup adjustments with Nazar out

Here are the forward lines and defensive pairings that were run at the morning skate ahead of the Hurricane’s game.

Lardis-Greene-Kane

Kantserov-Frondell-Bertuzzi

Smith-Moore-Greenway

Donato-Toninato-Teravainen

Byram-Levshunov

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Rinzel

Knight in the starter’s crease

Interestingly, Blashill has split up the most consistent line of Cole Smith-Ryan Greene-Jordan Greenway, placing Greene on the top line alongside Nick Lardis and Patrick Kane. Oliver Moore slots into Greene’s spot between Smith and Greenway. Here’s Blashill’s thought process.

“You're always worried about disrupting a line that's been really good. But with that said, we're just in a spot where we're obviously missing a couple centers, and so I think Moorsey can go in there and do a good job on that line. I think Greenway and Smith have been really consistently good players, and so hopefully Moorsey goes in, does the exact same thing that Green has done. Hopefully Greener can find some chemistry with his line, and so we'll go from there.”

This is obviously a huge opportunity for Greene, and speaks to the confidence the coaching staff has in his versatility. Said Blashill on Greene,

"What Greene does well when he's playing with good players, is he's not chaotic at all. He doesn't make any kind of chaos mistakes. She can help settle any line down and be good defensively, but also be good enough to make a play. Like Greener can make a lot of plays. He doesn't necessarily, he hasn't pointed at a huge rate, but he can make a lot of plays. He's a smart hockey player. I think playing with Kaner, you got to be a smart hockey player. Playing with Lardis, you got to be a smart hockey player. Those are two smart guys that can play with Kaner. So we'll see how it goes.”

Teuvo Teravainen, who didn’t play last game after getting his ankle stuck under a player against the St. Louis Blues, is back in the lineup. He’s slotted in on a line with Ryan Donato and Dominic Toninato. The dynamic line of Roman Kantserov-Anton Frondell-Tyler Bertuzzi stays intact, as do the defensive pairings. Spencer Knight looks to be the starting goaltender against the Hurricanes.

Bedard practicing faceoffs

In some other practice news, Bedard skated with the team through the entire morning skate, albeit still in a non-contact jersey. He also practiced some faceoffs after the skate was over.

This seems to be just another step in the right direction for Bedard, although there’s still no update on when he’ll be available. Stated the coach, “At some point here, he’ll be available to us, and we’re excited for that time.”

Olyczk named Blackhawks ambassador

The Blackhawks announced on Saturday morning (Oct. 10) that esteemed broadcaster and former player Eddie Olczyk will rejoin the organization in the role of Blackhawks Ambassador, joining Denis Savard, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Pat Foley.

"Eddie Olczyk is part of the fabric of this franchise and this city. From the kid who grew up cheering in the stands, to the player who wore the sweater on home ice, to the voice that brought Blackhawks hockey into Chicago homes for years, few people have meant more to our fans," said Blackhawks President of Business Operations Jaime Faulkner. "We're thrilled to welcome Eddie home as a Blackhawks Ambassador, and we know our fans will be just as excited to see him back where he belongs."

Olczyk will begin his new role by joining the Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) for various broadcasts, beginning with the Blackhawks versus Hurricanes game on Saturday night.

Olczyk played in two different stints for the Blackhawks, from 1984 through 1987 and then from 1998 through 2000. He’s a native of Palos Heights, IL and was a Blackhawk’s television analyst for a span of 16 years (2006-2022). He was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. Per Olczyk, "To come home and represent the Blackhawks as an ambassador means more to me than I can put into words … Chicago is my home, the Blackhawks are my team, and my family and I are thrilled to be back with our fans."

Toninato excited about the IceHogs

I had a chance to chat with Dominic Toninato after the morning skate. The 32-year-old journeyman center has been with the Rockford IceHogs last season and now this season, and is in the 10th year of his pro career (NHL and AHL). He suited up for eight contests with the Blackhawks last season, and was the first call-up this year when Teravainen sustained his ankle injury.

Blashill wanted a center to draw into the lineup, of which Toninato has a lot of experience. The coach referred to him as trustworthy and defensively dependable. Toninato seemed happy with that assessment.

I asked him what he thought of the IceHogs this season. “I really like our team there. I think we got a great veteran presence. Added some really steady guys in the back end, and we got some young guys with a lot of spark, a lot of energy, good skilled players that work hard and want to keep getting better, and just fun to be around.”

Toninato is referring to veteran defensemen in Connor Mackey and Dylan Anhorn, joining Cavan Fitzgerald who is now in his third season with the IceHogs. At forward, the team has top prospects Sacha Boisvert, A.J. Spellacy, Marek Vanacker and Jiri Felcman, all in their first year as pros (Felcman played in seven games with the IceHogs last season). It should be a fun team to watch this season.   

Getting back to the Blackhawks, they’re happy to be home for the next seven games, but the wins won’t come easy. However, the team should be focusing on the positives. Per Blashill, “I thought the last two games have been huge step in the right direction. Last game, I thought we did tons of good stuff. I thought we played the way we need to play to be effective. We were fast and hard out of our end. We were on top of the other team. We created enough chances. You know, the next step in winning that hockey game is not beating yourself.”

Hopefully the Blackhawks can turn the good things they’re doing into some wins while they have the United Center crowd on their side.

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